Guest Blog: Google Hangouts by Melissa Abels

Thank you to Melissa Abels, 3rd Grade teacher, for being our CCSD Tuesday Tech Tip guest blogger!  Melissa has done incredible work with engaging students in a collaborative inquiry based learning experience using Google Hangout.  We asked if she would share her experience and insight implementing a Google Mystery Hangout. 

As a 3rd Grade Teacher, Google Mystery Hangout was the perfect interactive addition to really “show” students the five different Regions of the United States! Google Mystery Hangout is essentially like “Skype” or “FaceTime” with another classroom somewhere around the world. Students ask questions back and forth to determine a class’s location based on inferences, mapping skills, and clues from the other students.

Content 

After teaching about the five different regions of the United States, I set up a Google Mystery Hangout with another classroom in each of the five regions (Southeast, Northeast, Midwest, Southwest, West). My students were able to use their knowledge about each region’s characteristics to ask questions, determine the region the Mystery Classroom was in, and then use geographic clues to determine the state in each region. My students were able to ask the other class questions about what it’s like living in that region, the weather, sports teams, etc, which were questions the Social Studies Curriculum wouldn’t answer. I love that my students were able to get answers to their immediate, real-life questions through this awesome tool.

Getting Set Up

Before we “Hungout” with other classrooms, I had to coordinate with another classroom around the country to find a time and date that we could get our classes together. Give yourself enough time to do this! The communication process with other teachers about dates and times that might work took longer than expected. Be sure to keep the time-zones in mind!

Test out the connection and volume before it is time for the actual Hangout. Sometimes being able to hear each other got a little tricky. Test volume, speakers, and connection first. Also make sure that you are connected so your students will be able to see the other class but also so that the other class can see your students.

Google Mystery Hangout is a lot like 20 questions. Students will ask yes or no questions back and forth to determine location. I recommend playing a few games of 20 Questions with your class for them to get the idea.

Jobs

When it is time to hang out, you want all students to have a job so that they all contribute to the success of the team. Assign or let students pick jobs before the Hangout actually starts so that you are prepared as it begins. My jobs were:

• Greeters: These (2) students say hello, introduce your class, determine who wants to ask questions first
• Inquirers: These (2) students ask the questions from your class
• Answerers:  These (2) students answer questions from the other class
• “Yes” Sign: This person holds up the “Yes” sign if “Yes” is the answer to the question as the answerer answers it
• “No” Sign: This person holds up the “No” sign if “No” is the answer to the question as the answerer answers it
• “We are thinking” Sign: This person holds up this sign when your students need time to collaborate or talk
• Think Tanks: These (2) students put all of the clues together and determine what question we want to ask next
• Question keepers (2): One person records questions your class has asked while the other records questions the other class has asked.
• Mappers: These (2) students look at a United States map of just the states as well as one with physical features to help give new information about what to ask to the Think Tank.
• Clue keepers: These (2) students record what we already know in an area where all students can see.
• Runner: This person moves between the Think Tank and the Questioners. Once the Think Tank decides what we want to ask, the runner tells the Questioners. 
• Photographers: These (3) students circulate around during the Hangout taking pictures of students at work.
• Problem solvers: These (2) students work together to synthesize all information and get to guess the other class’s location. 
• Closers: These (2) students thank the class you Hungout with, summarized the session, and provided information about our classroom, school, city, and state.

After the Hangout

After the hangout, I had students journal to me about how they thought it went, what they liked, and what they would change. It was a great reflective piece to know more about how this process was for them and if anything needed to be changed before the next hangout.

 Tips and Tricks

• Remind your students not to wear clothes that would give your location away (Ex: A Denver Broncos shirt).
• Go through examples of what the students might ask to help determine location (Bigger scale questions at first and then more specific ones.)
• Hangouts will usually take about 15-20 minutes.
• Prepare “Yes,” “No,” and “We are thinking” signs ahead of time
• Remind students that background noise makes it very hard for everyone to do their jobs
• The Hangout runs very quickly! Do not be hesitant to take the time that you need. 
• It will seem chaotic for the first few Hangouts while students learn their roles and their jobs. It’s not! They are just excited and collaborating!
• Always have a backup plan in case a Hangout falls through.
• Adjust jobs as needed. Add jobs that students see a need for.